Falcon 9 Second Stage Separates from IXPE Spacecraft

IXPE spacecraft separation
NASA’s IXPE spacecraft separates from the second stage of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021. Image credit: NASA

NASA’s Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft just reached a major milestone as it successfully separated from the second stage of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.

IXPE will now continue on its journey to study changes in the polarization of X-ray light through some of the universe’s most extreme sources, including black holes, dead stars known as pulsars, and more.

Click here to learn more about the IXPE mission.

Main Engine Cuts off, Falcon 9 First Stage Separates

IXPE spacecraft in space
The Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft is NASA’s first mission dedicated to measuring X-ray polarization. Image credit: NASA

The Falcon 9 rocket’s nine Merlin engines have finished their burn for main engine cutoff (MECO), and the first stage has separated from the rocket.

As the second stage continues carrying IXPE on its flight, the rocket’s first stage will attempt a targeted landing on SpaceX’s drone ship “Just Read the Directions.” That’s coming up shortly.

Liftoff! IXPE Soars Into the Sky

IXPE liftoff from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket roars off the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 1 a.m. EST on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021, carrying NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

3, 2, 1 … LIFTOFF! NASA’s Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft lights up the early morning Florida sky as it roars off the launch pad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on the agency’s first dedicated mission to measuring X-ray polarization.

Sandra Connelly, deputy associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters, stated during the mission’s prelaunch media conference: “Understanding our galaxy and our place in the universe is awe inspiring and we want to make sure that we’re inspiring the future generation of our scientists and engineers.”

IXPE is now on its way to play a part in doing just that. Stay right here on the blog, or tune in to NASA Television, the NASA app, or the agency’s website to watch the spacecraft and rocket eclipse more launch milestones.

Falcon 9 Rocket on Internal Power and Ready to Launch

Everything is looking great as NASA’s Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, prepares to launch into the sky from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. We are now just about 5 minutes away from liftoff.

NASA Launch Director Tim Dunn reported the rocket is on internal power and it is ready to launch. Stage 1 launch load is complete.

NASA’s IXPE Mission Nears Liftoff

IXPE and Falcon 9 rocket on the launch pad
NASA’s IXPE mission is set to launch from Kennedy Space Center at 1 a.m. EST. Image credit: NASA

In just about 10 minutes, the Falcon 9 rocket’s nine Merlin engines will roar to life, sending SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and NASA’s Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft into space. The rocket has been fueled with liquid oxygen and RP-1 – rocket-grade kerosene. The Falcon 9’s engines are chilling in preparation for launch.

Excitement is building as IXPE, NASA’s first dedicated mission to measuring X-ray polarization, nears launch. IXPE will study changes in the polarization of X-ray light through some of the universe’s most extreme sources, including black holes, dead stars known as pulsars, and more.

Weather Outlook Great, IXPE Locked in for 1 a.m. EST Launch

The weather outlook for NASA’s Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) launch from Kennedy Space Center remains outstanding. Weather officials with Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s 45th Weather Squadron predict a greater than 90% chance of favorable conditions for liftoff of NASA’s first dedicated mission to measuring X-ray polarization.

Propellant load is underway, which eliminates IXPE’s 90-minute launch window.

“We have committed to this and we are committed to a T-zero at 1 a.m.,” said Mic Woltman of NASA Communications.

Fun Facts About NASA’s IXPE Mission

IXPE spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket
NASA’s IXPE is the second Launch Services Program mission to fly a previously flown Falcon 9 booster. Photo credit: SpaceX

Here are some fun facts you may not know about NASA’s Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) mission:

  • IXPE will study targets over a broad range of types of astronomical X-ray sources with emphasis on black holes and neutron stars.
  • The mission will accomplish, for the first time, high-sensitivity measurements of the polarization of X-rays coming from some of the most exciting types of astronomical objects – neutron stars and black holes.
  • The mission will accomplish, for the first time, imaging X-ray polarization measurements from extended objects such as exploded stars and jets attached to super-massive black holes.
  • IXPE is the first Launch Services Program (LSP) mission to launch from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A.
  • The mission involves the first use of Kennedy’s Launch Control Center Firing Room 4 for the launch of an LSP mission.
  • IXPE is the second LSP mission to fly a previously flown Falcon 9 booster.

Stay right here for continued blog coverage, or tune in to NASA Television, the NASA app, or the agency’s website, which started at 12:30 a.m. EST, for live broadcast coverage of IXPE launch day activities. Launch is set for 1 a.m. EST from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.